A Very Lucky Girl

Shamrocks, rainbows, and leprechauns, oh my! Did I fall into a bowl of Lucky Charms? Nope, just dipped my toes into Dublin and the rest of Ireland over the weekend. I say dipped because one measly weekend is not enough for the breathtaking beauty I witnessed. I could use at least a week of leprechaun love. There were about 15 of us that traveled to Dublin on Friday night and we checked into a hostel I had researched located on the outskirts of the Temple Bar (aka year-round St. Patrick's Day celebration) district. It's called Kinlay House and I hesitate to recommend it to anyone else. The proximity to everything we wanted was excellent, however, the Wifi was awfully temperamental, the heat in at least two of the rooms was nonexistent, and only frigid water flowed in the showers. I managed one shower on Saturday evening, bending my back in such a way so that only my head was doused in the icy cascade. The tundra water elicited shrieks and shivers from Nat on my left side and Kyl...

I started A Very Lucky Girl exactly two years ago. Writing has always been a part of myself and my discovery of the world. I've kept a journal since 6th grade (that's about 10 years), but I'm thrilled to have been sharing my discoveries with such a faithful readership for two years. So much can change in two years. When I first began writing publicly I didn't know I would be writing about divorce or devastating holidays. I didn't know I'd be writing about adventures to Vegas and Scotland. I didn't know I would recap far too many Bachelor/Bachelorette seasons. I didn't know I would be writing about my relationship with Tyler as it progressed. It didn't even exist this time two years ago! I didn't know I would garner readers from around the world: Malaysia, France, Ukraine, Russia, Australia, China, Poland, Venezuela, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, India, and Belgium are just a few of the countries of people who have landed on my blog. I also ...

This week is the halfway point in my academic semester here at the University of Dundee in Scotland. Before I left America I received many well-wishes and one in particular sticks out to me at this stage in my journey. My friend, Tracy, told me in a Christmas card: "You will start seeing the world through new eyes." She should know, she spent a fall semester during her college years studying in Vienna, Austria. I FaceTimed her when I packed for my adventure and she urged me to NOT bring my entire tshirt collection. I admit, she was right. I really didn't NEED two pairs of Nike shorts.  I wanted to take a post to reflect on what I've learned about the world and about myself through my experiences at Dundee.  This semester is spurring me on to graduate as soon as humanly possible. December 2014 looks to be the magic date, which means...I've been a senior without realizing it.  Beyond an academic future, my weeks abroad have reaffirmed what I thought I already kne...

After my first night in London I finally wised up and slept with my ear warmer on in order to block out as much street noise as possible. I still heard some but it was more muffled and I slept much better, even on a mattress worse than my one in Dundee. This was Kiera and my last full day in London and we still had several places to go. We mapped out our attack via the tube and started first at St. Paul's Cathedral. Because we went to the service, we didn't have to pay an entrance fee. The sneaky pictures I again tried to take are no match for the real thing. Even if you aren't religious, I urge you to visit St. Paul's just for the art and architecture. I was completely overwhelmed, and although the service itself was beautiful, I could hardly pay attention because of the gorgeous detail everywhere I looked. It was sunny for the THIRD day in a row and the sunlight streamed through the stained glass in entrancing patterns.  After the service we hopped back on the tube w...

As I mentioned before in my first post about London , our hostel was absolutely not conducive to sound sleep. Therefore, on Saturday morning I woke up at 5 AM, almost an hour and a half before my alarm was scheduled to start singing. I used my extra time to Whatsapp Tyler, considering it was only 11 PM in Oklahoma. We weren't even in the same day yet! Eventually I crawled out of bed and located my clothes by flashlight, trying desperately to not wake up Kiera. Today was our split up day, bringing out our equally nerdy tendencies with different tours. I booked a 10 hour bus tour to Windsor, Oxford, and Stonehenge, while she was jetting off to Warner Bros. Harry Potter tour later in the afternoon. I didn't see a single sign of the continental breakfast that was promised on the hostel website so I headed straight to the tube station. I took the DLR to Tower Hill before I transferred to the Circle Line and landed at Victoria Station. The entire travel time took about an hour. I sna...

Last weekend I ventured off to London, England with Kiera, a friend who hails from Ontario. In the days leading up to the flight I played Joey Tribbiani's voice saying "London, baby!" over and over again in my head.  We took the train to Edinburgh on Thursday afternoon because most flights to major cities leave from Edinburgh for the cheapest price. Our flight left at 6:20 AM on Friday so we stayed with Kiera's family on Thursday evening. We read books to young Kate before turning in for bed around 8:30 PM without shame. Our cab was scheduled to come for us at 4:45 AM.  The ride to the airport is a blur and we both passed out on the flight. We arrived at Gatwick airport, south of London. Our welcome included completely armed security personnel meandering with AK47s and dogs. We exchanged glances and hurried to the train station.  We sat on a train for an hour before it decided to begin moving, due to a broken down train north of the station. We finally left Gatwi...

Something magical happened on Tuesday. THE SUN CAME OUT. I felt naturally warm outside for the first time in weeks. Meghan, Nat, and I bought return tickets to Broughty Ferry for 2 pounds and twenty pence. The best bargain. We had some time to kill so we wandered along our own River Tay, in awe of the bright sky and lamenting our lack of sunglasses. Mine have been significantly unused for the duration of my stay in Scotland.  The train ride to Broughty Ferry took a whopping seven minutes and we had seen the whole town in less than twenty. We went straight to the coast, vowing to return to the various shops we passed along the way. You'd think none of us had ever seen a coast of any kind with the fuss we make over beaches. We navigated the slippery harbor and actually took off layers as the sun beat down on us. It was most welcome. We could see Dundee from our location and marveled at Dundee Law. If we had bikes it would have been a nice ride to Broughty Ferry and back.  I ap...